


The Last Warriors

by rushii



Category: Original Work, The Last Warriors (Warriors), Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Cat OCs, Cats, DarkClan, Depressing, F/F, F/M, FernClan, HeatherClan, Homophobia, LGBTQ Themes, LGBTQA+ Acceptance, LakeClan, M/M, Multi, Not everyone accepts it tho, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, Transphobia, cept icepaw she has done nothing wrong ever, everyone is a dick, except its all a fanmade universe, most do but still, some ppl in this story are major assholes just warning ya, the cats are ocs, the clans are made up, warriors fanfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-16
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2018-11-01 08:57:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10918548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rushii/pseuds/rushii
Summary: The fall of the Clans is in sight. As FernClan gets struck down by sickness, DarkClan is loosing it's territory to twolegs. HeatherClan is loosing to the large heat waves effecting the moor, and LakeClan has so much infighting and problems cats are attacking their own parents and siblings.A prophecy is sent to each leader, and now it's up to them to determine which cats can save them all, before it's too late.





	1. Prouloge - The Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> ready for angst? too bad

Water splashed as a large black and white tom trotted through a puddle, though he seemed uncaring for the mud and grim; his normally white paws had been stained dark brown. Thunder and lighting crackled overhead, the storm growing more severe as time went on. The tom barely flinched at the loud noises.

The falling rain made the black and white cat's fur stick to his sides. He looked almost sick with how drenched he was; the muscles rippling under his pelt the only reminder he wasn't.

A cave came into sight, and the tom quickly ran to cover. As soon as he was inside, he shook his fur, trying to get dry as soon as possible.

As he turned to look outside at the raging storm, another cat had came to the cave entrance from deeper within.

"Blackstar. It took you long enough, we've all been here since moonrise!" A deep female voice spoke. The black and white cat—Blackstar—turned towards the voice.

"Blossomstar," he lowered his head in greeting, "It's nice to see you made it all the way here from FernClan. You mentioned ' _we'_?" Blackstar meowed.

Blossomstar nodded. "Fernstar and Ravenstar." She replied. Then she turned to head deep into the cave again, as thunder echoed around from outside.

Blackstar hurried to follow after the other leader, tracking where she went by scent rather than sight. The cavern was dark, with no light source coming from anywhere. Blackstar tripped once on a rock that was in the middle of the path. He pushed it to the wall, and continued deeper into the darkness.

Finally, he came to a open area, with a pool of water in the middle, and several other puddles around the place. There was hole in the roof, about the size of a badger's head, right above the pool in the middle. Drops of water from the rain came in through it, making the reflections in the water ripple each second.

There were three cats sitting by the pool, and all three turned to look at him expectantly. One was a silver tabby she-cat with blue eyes that shined as brightly as the stars, another was a brown and white tom with tired amber eyes, and a scarred muzzle. The third was the cat he followed here, Blossomstar. She had snow-white fur, with an all gray tail and paws. She had flecks of gray scattered on her chest and face, as well, and stunning emerald green eyes. It was hard to describe her as anything other than _beautiful_ , Blackstar thought.

Fernstar had a frown on her face and stood up, "Where have you been? We were starting to get worried!" She exclaimed, giving him an almost motherly scolding, and rushing over to him. She wrinkled her nose as she got closer to him to see properly.

His white muzzle, paws, and underbelly were matted and stained brown from all the mud and rain. Fernstar looked utterly disgusted. "You're _filthy!_ This is why we said to come earlier, so in case the storm kicked in—which it has—this wouldn't happen!" She lashed her tail and walked back over to the pool, looking frustrated. Ravenstar sighed from next to her.

"Sorry about being late." Was all Blackstar replied with before going to sit in front of the pool next to the others. He made room for himself in between Ravenstar and Blossomstar, as to not annoy Fernstar more by sitting next to her. "Have you heard any more from StarClan?" The black and white tom asked as he sat down.

Ravenstar glanced at the two she-cats before sighing again and casting his gaze to the water. "No, not a word." The brown and white tom looked faintly annoyed. "It seemed so important. Why would they shut us out now?" He quietly asked, almost to himself.

Blossomstar' eyes shined with thoughtfulness. "Maybe they want us to figure it out on our own?" She murmured. Fernstar looked at the other she-cat.

"Blossomstar, that's great and all, but how exactly are we going to do that?" The silver tabby hissed. Then she blinked and glanced at Blackstar. "Wait." She meowed, and narrowed her eyes.

Blackstar rolled his eyes. Fernstar acted odd all the time, and her sudden mood change didn't surprise him at all.

"What is it, Fernstar?" Blackstar asked, his tone made it seem as if he wasn't taking her seriously. She lashed her tail, but didn't challenge him about it.

"Maybe it's talking about a cat or two?" Fernstar replied, pricking her ears. Blossomstar hummed, and slowly nodded.

"Yes, maybe it is talking about someone in our Clans. But which one?" The white she-cat replied. "It made it seem like two things or creatures are working together. They must be from the same Clan?" She wondered aloud.

Ravenstar closed his eyes and drew is tail over his paws. " _'Falling snow and the sharpest claw can save or destroy the Clans'_.." He retold the prophecy sent to all four Leaders from the almighty StarClan.

Blackstar pricked his ears. "Pebblepool just kitted a few sunrises ago, her kits are named Icekit and Ashkit. Could it be referring to them?" The black and white tom guessed; his brown eyes shined in anticipation as he recalled the queen Fernstar mentioned at the last Gathering, two sunrises ago.

Fernstar's eyes clouded in wonder. "You think two kits from LakeClan have the power to save our Clans? Or destroy them?" She whispered, shaking as she thought of the two kits who haven't even opened their eyes yet holding so much power. Kittens with so much power, in her Clan.

Ravenstar nodded with Blackstar. "It makes sense," the brown and white tom meowed, " _'Falling snow'_ could be about Icekit, since ice is a lot like snow. _'Sharpest claw'_..maybe Ashkit will be a good fighter in the future?" He guessed.

Blossomstar shook her head, glaring at the others. "You think StarClan would give _kits_ so much power? It's probably senior Warriors from a Clan. Ravenstar, a cat in HeatherClan has the name Whitefeather. Blackstar, you have a warrior named Lionclaw. In FernClan, we have Jayfrost and Lilymist. There's too many cats who might have the powers to assume it's two _newborn kits_ from LakeClan!"

Blackstar nodded at Blossomstar's words, while Ravenstar and Fernstar thought over them, going over the number of cats who could possibly be in the prophecy. They both were deep in thought.

"You give a good point, Blossomstar." The brown-eyed tom dipped his head for a second in acknowledgment, "Still, we should consider them for it. Any cat that seems to be keeping something hidden, acting different than normal, or with a name that might have to do with the sign, should be brought into question." Blackstar finished.

And with that, he abruptly stood up and stretched. "I think it's time we return to our Clans, don't you think?" He asked. Ravenstar blinked at the other tom, nodded, and stood up as well.

"Yes, I agree. My Clan will wonder where I've been for so long. Goodbye, everyone." Blossomstar meowed an answer, stood up, and trotted towards the exit; she left by herself, not saying another word to the other Leaders. Fernstar slowly got to her paws, shaking slightly as she stood up. Ravenstar let her lean against him as she dipped her head to Blackstar.

"It was good discussing this. I shall see you again soon, I hope. Goodbye, Blackstar and Ravenstar." She said, before stepping away from the two toms. She limped out the cave, and coughed twice as she got to the tunnel leading outside.

Ravenstar stared after her. "Fernstar is getting very old." He remarked, "She might not see us again after all if she continues doing as much as possible every day." Blackstar imagined Fernstar on her last life, breathing her last breathe, and grief struck his heart more than he thought it would.

"She's been LakeClan's leader for many, many moons. Before Blossomstar was made a warrior." Blackstar murmured, silently agreeing that the silver Leader may not see to her next Gathering. He remembers Stormleaf, the LakeClan deputy, telling him about how Fernstar insists on being as active as possible; she patrolled and hunted all the time, played with kits, listened to elders' stories..

The black and white tom shook his head to clear the thoughts. He turned his head to look at the younger tom. "Well..I guess I'll be seeing you at the next Gathering?" He asked.

Ravenstar looked back and nodded, "Yes. I look forward to it. Goodbye, Blackstar." The other tom dipped his head and walked towards the cavern exit.

"Goodbye, Ravenstar! Have a safe journey!"

"You too."

The amber eyed tom had disappeared from Blackstar's sight. He sighed and looked down at the water pooled in front of him.

"Oh, StarClan..why are you doing this to us? What did we do to deserve this fear and fallout?" He whispered down at his reflection, rippling still from the falling raindrops. He suddenly felt small and insignificant. He was just DarkClan's Leader. When he died, someone would replace him.

He was _replaceable._

He sighed again, and turned to walk toward the cavern's exit, his tail dragging on the ground. Now he would begin the long walk home to DarkClan.


	2. Chapter One // The Apprenticeship

"Let all cats old enough to hunt gather beneath the Great Pine for a Clan meeting!"

A brown she-cat was awoken by a silver tabby she-cat's voice. The brown cat's back had three black stripes, and three white stripes; a pattern of black and white was somewhere on multiple places of her fur. Her ears--the left of which had the tip cut, which made a 'V' shaped scar--were white with a black outline. Her chest, belly, and stub-tail were the same, with the exception that her tail had reversed colors. One of her paws flicked in slight annoyance at being suddenly startled awake; the toes of each paw were snow-white. Her shamrock green eyes looked around the den, seeing if anyone else was rudely awaken by the leader of their Clan.

She spotted three other cats in the dim area made out of ferns and brambles. Sunlight made it though small gaps in the roof, and through the entrance of the spaced enclosure. One of the cat's was a small she-cat, with an orange tabby pelt. Her back was turned from the brown she-cat, and the latter could see the start of a scar where fur didn't grow on one of the other she-cat's front legs. The other two were toms; one of them had dark orange fur, with a with a brown stripe leading down from his face to his tail-tip, making his chest, belly, and the underside of his tail brown furred. His emerald green eyes clouded with confusion as he glanced back at her. The other tom was a silver tabby cat, with splotches of smoky gray and white across various places on his body. He seemed unmoved by the noise from outside the den. 

Right before the white-toed she-cat could make a move to get up, a head popped in from the entrance to the den. The cat was gray, with two darker gray spots on both sides of her face, and the same colored ear-tips. Her eyes were ocean blue, and sparkled as they observed the enclosure.

They sparkled with disappointment.

"Can you all wake up and join us? I know you were on dawn patrol, but it's sunhigh now! Get up!" She hissed at the four quickly awaking forms of fur. "Jaywind, get your tail out of that nest!" She directed her gaze at the silver tabby, who glared back with icy blue eyes. Then the she-cat turned her gaze towards the black, white, and brown she-cat. "Snowtoes, I can see you avoiding me. Fernstar requested you being here, you know. Just because your parents left means you don't have to join Clan activities." The last sentence made the brown she-cat--now known as Snowtoes--wince. No matter how much time passed, she still hated being reminded of her parents whom left their home of LakeClan forever to be rouges.

Snowtoes shook her head to get rid of the thoughts, and stood up from her warm nest to follow the other cats out into the clearing where undoubtedly all the other cats in the Clan were. As the gray she-cat pulled her head back out from the den, the orange she-cat and tom were already right behind her, and Jaywind's tail swished the ferns as he followed suit. Snowtoes yawned, and walked out of her nest and out the den after her Clanmates.

As she exited the bramble den, Snowtoes blinked her eyes to get used to the bright sun from outside. There were no clouds in the sky, and the sun beat down in the opened clearing in the camp. Many cats were gathered around a giant pine tree, with another bramble den. Fallen rocks were next to the tree, making a way to climb up onto the pine. A silver tabby was sitting on the massive plant, her white paws were hidden by a branch, and her white muzzle, chest, and underbelly were glossy, as if the Clan leader just washed.

Snowtoes rolled her eyes as she saw two kits squealing and skipping towards the group of gathered felines. Their mother, a gray furred tabby with a scarred pale gray muzzle and front paws, raced after them. The brown she-cat spotted their father a bit behind her--A brown tom with a similar pelt to hers, but without any white and a pale sand colored face, and a black striped tail with a spot on his right eye--watching the excited kittens with an exasperated expression. She wondered how long they tried to keep the kits looking formal before they decided to run out. Snowtoes snorted as the brown tom sighed and followed his family defeatedly.

The brown cat walked toward the gathered cats, and as she walked through her gathered Clanmates, she silently listed each name as she passed.

_'Thorntail, Birchfang, Cinderflower, Flamestrike, Emberpaw, Minnowpaw, Feathercloud, Willowwind, Oakshine, Jaywind, Duskpaw..'_

As she reached the front of the crowd, she looked up in the tree and noticed two other cats, lower than the Clan leader, also sitting in the tree. One was a white tom with two black stripes on his front legs; his left ear, toes, and a streak above his nose also had the same black coloured fur. His eyes were dark green, and the left one had a scar down the front of it, and Snowtoes remembered how his vision was blurry in that eye. She also knew by scent, sight, and heart that the tom's name was Stormleaf.

The other cat was a light brown she-cat with tiny dark brown spots across her face, under her eyes and above her nose. There was a tan spot on her hindquarters leading to her tail; Snowtoes could see the lighter colors on the top part of the she-cat's tail as it swished back and forth impatiently. The she-cat's front paws, muzzle, and ears were also tan, and her amber eyes gazed across the Clan she cared for. Snowtoes fondly knew her as the medicine cat, named Hazelflight.

Snowtoes looked to the small clearing in front of the tree where all the cats gathered around, and saw two tiny cats sitting in it facing the Great Pine. One was a brown tom with a black muzzle and paws with teal eyes, the other a gray she-cat with black toes and striped tail with dark green eyes. They both were purring loudly in excitement, and Snowtoes briefly connected that this was probably their apprentice ceremony.

Snowtoes knew she wouldn't mentor either of them. Half the Clan thought she might turn around and betray them any second. She gains nothing by attending this ceremony. She knew she never would.

"It is time for two kits to become apprentices under the eyes of StarClan." Snowtoes' snapped her attention up to the Great Pine, and recognized the voice that woke her up earlier. The silver tabby, Fernstar, leader of LakeClan. Snowtoes both envies and admires the formidable leader. The she-cat was looking at the two to-be apprentices, her eyes gleaming with a sort of motherly love, despite not being even closely related to them. "Ashkit, come forward,"

Fernstar jumped off the tree, and landed awkwardly. She stumbled, and almost collapsed, before inhaling a gasp of air, and staggering forward. Snowtoes remembered just how old the leader was and felt a pang of grief that the frail tabby may not live another season. Ashkit, the brown tom, walked forward. Snowtoes wondered if he didn't realize anything was wrong with the silver striped cat.

"Ashkit, do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code, and train hard to complete your training?"

Ashkit's eyes were shimmering, and he was shaking with excitement. His voice was a high-pitched squeak when he replied, "I do."

Fernstar smiled down at the black-pawed tom. "Then from this moment on, in the eyes of StarClan, you shall be known as Ashpaw. Your mentor shall be Cinderflower," The old leader turned towards the gray spotted she-cat that woke up Snowtoes and the other three cats earlier, "Cinderflower, you have proven to be determined, patient, and a great fighter. Pass on all you have learned to this young apprentice." Ashpaw practically hopped all the way over to Cinderflower, who met him at the front of the crowd. As their noses touched, Ashpaw was purring so loudly that Snowtoes could hear it from the other side of the clearing, and through the chants of "Ashpaw, Ashpaw!"

Next, Fernstar turned back to the gray she-cat in front of her; the kit's name was Icekit. She was only a few moments from being Icepaw. Snowtoes looked across the clearing to try to guess who would mentor the gray cat with black toes. Her striped tail's fur was standing up in excitement, and she stared up at her leader with a patient, happy look. Snowtoes thought she might get mentored by Birchfang, who was Cinderflower's brother.

"Icekit, do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code, and train hard to complete your training?" Fernstar repeated to Icekit the same words she said to Ashpaw. Icekit replied with the same two words that every apprentice before her said.

"I do."

"Then from this moment on, in the eyes of StarClan, you shall be known as Icepaw." Snowtoes briefly considered that Jaywind could be Icepaw's new mentor. Definitely not Patchheart, Willowwind, or Feathercloud; the three already mentored Emberpaw, Minnowpaw, and Duskpaw, respectively.

"Your mentor shall be Snowtoes."

_'..what?'_

Snowtoes shot her head up and looked at Fernstar with wide eyes. _'Really? Me?_ ' was all she could think, before Fernstar nodded and opened her mouth to continue talking, "Snowtoes, you have proven to be loyal, intelligent, and calm in bad situations. Pass on all you have learned to this young apprentice." As Icepaw walked over to meet Snowtoes, the brown she-cat saw nothing but happiness and nervousness in the she-cat's gaze. She wasn't annoyed or bothered to be her apprentice. Snowtoes ducked her head to touch her nose with Icepaw and couldn't help the grin that took it's place on her face, and her heart swelled with happiness and pride. Icepaw purred when she noticed.

"Snowtoes? Why that cat and not Birchfang or Thorntail? Anybody other than that mange-pelt!" A croaky female voice broke into Snowtoes' happy thoughts. A mean croaky voice, that belonged to an elderly white she-cat with a gray muzzle, paws, tail-tip, and a spot that resembled a flame on her chest. Her name was Flamestrike, and the very old she-cat was Fernstar's sister. Snowtoes felt as if Flamestrike picked up her heart, and then clawed it until it broke into a thousand pieces as small as a mouse's claw.

Fernstar calmly turned to her sister, though Snowtoes saw her tail flick with annoyance. "Flamestrike, are you questioning your leader's decision? Snowtoes is a noble and loyal warrior, you should respect her," the silver tabby paused, as if questioning whether to speak again. "You should respect all your Clanmates, for that matter." The blue-eyed leader added matter-of-factly. Flamestrike lashed her tail again and snarled at her sister.

"When I was an apprentice, that excuse for a cat would never be able to mentor an apprentice. You all think you're so great because you allow a tom to love a tom, and you let toms say they're she-cats and get away with it! Snowtoes, Birchfang, and Thorntail will never get into StarClan!" Growls and murmurs of outrage broke out from cats all in the group at the elder's cruel words. Snowtoes saw Thorntail jump to his paws beside Birchfang, who was glaring harshly at Flamestrike. Snowtoes felt the words burn into her brain and heart.

Fernstar narrowed her eyes at her sister, who looked ready to fling herself at her Clanmates any second. "What about me and Willowwind? I am your leader and your sister, and Willowwind was your apprentice. Just because we are unafraid to love who we want doesn't make us bad cats. Just because Snowtoes can never bear kits doesn't mean she isn't a she-cat. You are an elder, Flamestrike, not the deputy or leader. Sit down and stop disrupting ceremonies, that is an order. This meeting is over." Fernstar turned around quickly and entered her den, which was placed right next to the Great Pine.

Murmurs of disproval and questions rose from the gathered cats, but Flamestrike sat down and didn't say anything more. Snowtoes felt a few gazes on her, and shuffled her paws awkwardly, and noticed Icepaw looking nervous and awkward, too. Cats began to break away from the crowd, and Snowtoes saw a few cats going over to Stormleaf, who had jumped from the tree with Hazelflight at some point during the ceremony. They were probably asking about patrols. It occurred to her that no-one chanted Icepaw's name due to the interruption, and she instantly felt bad for the new apprentice. The gray she-cat was still standing in front of Snowtoes, looking around nervously, with her ears drooping as if she was upset; she most likely was very upset at having her apprentice ceremony go so wrong because an elder didn't get along with her mentor.

"Sorry that your ceremony was ruined because of me.." Snowtoes muttered to Icepaw, more to herself than the apprentice, but Icepaw just nodded at her mentor.

"It's not your fault Flamestrike's meaner than a fox. She's always been that way, hasn't she?" Icepaw replied, with a humorless chuckle. Snowtoes had to agree, but still felt slightly guilty for being the reason Flamestrike lashed out. Even if the elder had been harassing her own Clanmates since she was a kit, it still irked and upset the entire Clan when she interrupted each meeting because she didn't agree with something. Snowtoes briefly remembered when Fernstar was the deputy that the leader before her, a black and white she-cat named Cloverstar, had considered exiling Flamestrike due to her disruptive and cruel intentions. The brown she-cat didn't think she'd miss the elder if Fernstar decided to drive her out now, and wished she'd just act nice for once in her entire life.

Snowtoes sighed, and looked up at Flamestrike to see the elder glaring at her with a look of hatred, and Snowtoes wondered what she ever did to make the white and gray she-cat feel so strongly about her. Then she tore her gaze away to look back at Icepaw, and even though she still felt doubtful and had an unsettling feeling as she almost felt Flamestrike's gaze on her, she still felt hopeful and excited to mentor this apprentice. Icepaw was a good, patient, and kind-hearted cat; she would grow to be a fantastic warrior, maybe even leader one day.

'I'll make sure you become so great, that even Flamestrike will be inspired by you. That's a promise.' Snowtoes silently promised to the young cat. Then she shook her head, and straightened her back to appear taller and more proud than she felt inside. "How about we go explore the territory with Cinderflower and Ashpaw?" She asked Icepaw as she spotted the two cats she mentioned walking toward them. Icepaw brightened immediately, and smiled up at the brown, white, and black she-cat.

"Yeah! I can't wait! Hey, Ashpaw, let's go see the waterfall with Snowtoes and Cinderflower!"

As the siblings excitedly talked about the waterfall and borders, Snowtoes saw the gray spotted she-cat, Cinderflower, walk up to her. The gray cat sat down, and smiled as she saw the brother and sister start play fighting.

"They act just like me and Birchfang did when we were kits. Did you have any siblings? You were a warrior before I was even born, surely you have family I just never met?" Cinderflower questioned. Snowtoes purred as she remembered the happy family she used to have.

"Yeah, I did, actually. I had a brother, named Mousekit. He was a gray tabby, and had an orange tail. He..died, when he was about 2 moons old. I think it's what influenced my parents to leave the Clans. I can't remember much about him, if I'm honest. We were young." The brown she-cat only felt mildly upset about talking about her brother. her most prominent memory was Oakshine telling her that her brother had greencough, and not much else was stored in her head of Mousekit.

"Oh..uh, sorry for asking." Cinderflower awkwardly replied. Snowtoes could almost taste the pity radiating off of the gray spotted she-cat. She just flicked her ear in acknowledgement, instead of replying to the other cat.

"Well, we better gather Ashpaw and Icepaw before they tire themselves out too quickly. They would hate it if they got too exhausted to see the waterfall!" Snowtoes changed the topic to the apprentices, and noticed Cinderflower purring, before nodding in agreement. Ashpaw and Icepaw were quick to stop playing and leave the camp, leaving their mentors behind. Cinderflower sighed, though not in annoyance. She sounded content. Snowtoes felt her mood sweeten with the other she-cat, and purred as she followed Cinderflower after the apprentices.

Maybe things wouldn't be that bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually laughed a lot more at my own jokes in there than I should have im sorry I promised angst its just happy fun times right now
> 
> "massive plant" is my new favourite way to describe trees
> 
> ik that "great pine" may be too much like "great oak" but cmon I tried


	3. Chapter Two // Gathering

A gray she-cat with black toes and a striped tail was quietly stalking through the forest. The loud noise of a waterfall could be heard from where she was at, though it was distant and hidden from her sight. She was hunting after a plump vole she had scented only a couple moments ago, and she had just spotted it, a couple mouse-tails away. The gray cat drew her legs under her, and made sure that no other cats or creatures were nearby, before springing forward and dropping her front paws down hard on her prey. It squealed for a second, but it was cut off as the she-cat bite it's neck and broke it.

"Great catch!" A voice that wasn't her own sounded from behind her. She picked up her prey and lifted her head as the other creature--another cat, a female--walked through the ferns and stood next to the younger gray feline. The other cat was brown, with various markings of white and black over various parts of her fur; the cat also had a deep cut through the tip of her left ear, leaving a permanent scar. The gray cat purred as she easily recognized the other cat as her mentor, Snowtoes.

"Thanks!" She meowed, her voice muffled because of the vole she was holding. Snowtoes purred back, and flicked her tail as a silent instruction to follow after her. The gray apprentice listened to the command, and followed after her mentor as the brown she-cat walked back through the ferns. The sound of the waterfall got slowly louder as they trotted through the forest, and the apprentice guessed that they were heading toward it. She knew that two other cats, named Feathercloud and Oakshine, would be there as the other cats in the hunting patrol that Snowtoes was leading.

As they reached the booming sound of the water, the warrior and apprentice noticed two other she-cats sitting by a large rock that sheltered them from the spraying flicks of water drops. A small pile of food sat in front of them; there was a thrush, two mice, and a small fish that the gray she-cat couldn't recognize by name. One of the cats had orange fur with an arrow shaped brown spot on her chest, and four brown paws. The other cat was light brown, with a sand coloured stripe starting from her muzzle and leading down to her stomach and the start of her tail; her tail tip and paws were the same color. They had chestnut amber and mint green eyes, respectively. The orange she-cat let out a 'mrrow' of greeting as she spotted the other two cats.

"Great catch, Icepaw!" The orange cat shouted over the loud noise of the waterfall as Snowtoes and Icepaw approached. Icepaw felt her heart brim with happiness and proudness at the praise from Feathercloud. She lifted her head high as she walked over and dropped her vole in the pile of prey that they would soon take back to their Clan. The light brown she-cat, Oakshine, nodded approvingly at the much younger cat.

Feathercloud shook herself, stood up, and grinned at the apprentice and mentor, "It's about time we take this back to camp, huh?" She meowed. Icepaw looked over to Snowtoes, who nodded in agreement before picking up the thrush. Icepaw saw Feathercloud pick up the fish, and Oakshine collect the mice; the gray apprentice grabbed the vole again, and followed the three cats who were now trotting back into the trees, towards the camp. She had to run to keep up with them.

It was around sunhigh when the hunting party got back to the camp confined in ferns and bramble bushes. Jaywind, one of the senior warriors, was on guard. He flicked his ear in greeting to the she-cats. As the cats were about to walk back into camp through the hidden underground tunnel, the gray tom stopped them by placing a paw out infront of them.

"One sec, girls. Fernstar said she had to make sure that all you know there's gonna be another ceremony just after sunhigh. I think she meant it more just for you," He paused to grin at Snowtoes, "Since apparently you have a habit of not showing. Don't go runnin' off, love." He finished, moving his paw back to be drawn in front of him, and looked smugly at Oakshine; the light brown she-cat just rolled her eyes and sighed.

Snowtoes flicked her small tail in either annoyance or acknowledgement; Icepaw couldn't really tell how her mentor felt about the small announcement. She herself, however, couldn't help feeling amused. The apprentice also wondered what the apparent 'ceremony' could be--no kits have been born since she and her brother had been apprenticed, and even if they had, none would be anywhere near six moons yet.

She pondered on it for a few more seconds as the patrol walked through the tunnel into the camp. As they emerged into the clearing, Icepaw spotted a few cats already gathered near the Great Pine. They were chatting in excited and confused whispers, and one glanced at the elders den before growling and turning back to the cat they were talking to. The gray she-cat suddenly realized they must have been talking about Flamestrike, one of the elders. Flamestrike, unlike most other elders, was not respected; the reason for that being she treated everyone worst than a rabid fox.

And she had probably one redeeming quality, which was being related to Fernstar.

Not very good list there, unfortunately.

The hunting group dropped their prey onto the pile, before scattering to separate directions. Feathercloud went towards her brother, Thorntail, who was sitting with Birchfang. The two toms greeted her warmly and started sharing their conversation with the orange she-cat; Oakshine went over to Hazelflight, and the two disappeared into the medicine den; Snowtoes walked towards the Great Pine, and sat alone near a bush. Icepaw glanced around, and spotted Duskpaw, Minnowpaw, and Emberpaw looking at the Great Pine with a look of excitement and wonder. Icepaw realized they were apprenticed before she was born, and this was probably going to be the day they became warriors.

"Let all cats gather beneath the Great Pine for a Clan meeting!" Fernstar's voice made her turn her head back towards the gathered cats and the tall tree. She rushed over to sit near her mentor, and felt a spurt of happiness when she realized Cinderflower and Ashpaw were also sitting with her mentor. Ashpaw waved his tail as a sign for her to come over, which she obeyed gladly, and sat next to her brother.

"What do you think's happening?" The brown tabby apprentice asked.

"Their warrior ceremony, mousebrain!"

"Really?"

"What else? They've been apprentices for so many moons!"

"Hush, you two. Fernstar's about to talk." Cinderflower lightly scolded them, and right as she got the words out, Fernstar cleared her throat. Stormleaf and Hazelflight jumped onto separate tree branches, and the silver tabby leader started to talk once again, and started the ceremony.

"The time has come for three apprentices to be made into warriors. Emberpaw, Duskpaw, and Minnowpaw, come forward." The three apprentices all walked forward in the order their names were called. Emberpaw and Duskpaw looked determined and proud, while Minnowpaw looked nervous and content. Icepaw thought they all worked hard, and deserved to finally become warriors.

"Patchheart, Willowwind, Feathercloud, has your apprentices' worked hard to learn the way of a warrior and complete their training?" Fernstar went on, looking at the three cats as she named them, and finally resting her gaze on Feathercloud.

"Yes, Emberpaw has, she was a fast learner." Patchheart loudly meowed.

"Of course, Duskpaw has learned everything he can!" Feathercloud proudly exclaimed.

"Yes, Fernstar, Minnowpaw always paid attention." Willowwind replied to the leader.

Fernstar purred down at the cats, but it was barely audible to Icepaw, "Then from this moment on, in the eyes of StarClan, these apprentices shall become warriors. Emberpaw, come forward." The silver tabby climbed down the pine tree instead of jumping, like she had when Icepaw and Ashpaw were apprenticed. The leader walked a couple paces to meet Emberpaw.

"Emberpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Fernstar's once powerful voice was now barely audible, and sounded slightly creaky, like an old tree.

"I do." Emberpaw sounded smug and proud as she coolly replied the two words.

Fernstar sighed, "Then from this moment on, you shall be known as Emberleap, due to your agility which allows you to travel like a leaping ember. StarClan honors your loyalty and bravery." She finished. Emberleap looked around happily, and her eyes shined with great determination.

"Emberleap! Emberleap!" Icepaw joined in with the chants, and felt almost as excited as the new warrior must feel.

The same thing was repeated for the other two cats; Duskpaw became Duskclaw, and Minnowpaw became Minnowstream.

"Duskclaw! Minnowstream! Duskclaw! Minnowstream!"

Several cats went to congratulate the new warriors, Icepaw and Ashpaw being two of the many cats. Icepaw noticed Flamestrike sitting alone near the elder's den, glaring harshly at the new warriors. The gray apprentice knew the elder as rude and cold hearted, yet some part of her wanted to believe there was some good to the old feline. There's good in everyone, right? Surely that had to be true; no cat was evil, through and through. Everyone had good. Flamestrike had to have good in her somewhere.

After a couple seconds of staring at the white and gray she-cat, the other's gaze shifted to look at her. Her eyes blazed with emotion, and she drew in her lip to snarl at the apprentice when she saw her. Icepaw instantly shot her eyes away to look back at Emberleap, Minnowstream, and Duskclaw. Ashpaw was excitedly telling Emberleap about how he hopes the trio become as good warriors as they were apprentices. She looked back to where she last saw Snowtoes, the apprentice noticed that her mentor was still sitting there. She looked deep in thought.

"Hey, you okay?" The gray she-cat asked the older brown she-cat as she approached. Snowtoes broke out of whatever day-dream she was in, and looked down at her apprentice. The older feline purred, and Icepaw noticed the gray hairs on her muzzle for the first time ever. It made her upset that she was Snowtoes' first apprentice, despite the warrior's loyalty, talent, and overall good personality. She would probably have to retire to the elder's den when the apprenticeship ended.

"Yes, I'm fine. Did you get scared by Flamestrike?"

"How'd you know?"

"Because she looked at me, and I'm scared of her, too."

"Really?"

"Honestly, who isn't? I can almost taste the hatred she has for everyone. I don't even think she likes Fernstar!"

Icepaw felt intrigued by that, "How can someone hate Fernstar? And why is she so mean? Did the Clan do something to her?" Snowtoes looked slightly thoughtful before replying.

"You ask a lot of questions, Icepaw. Honestly, I'm not sure why she does. I'm not gonna ask her, and I don't think anyone else wants to, either. My mother--well, foster mother--Grayheart told me that she's worried other cats will have a life like hers, and she's scared of someone turning out like her. So she tries to keep cats acting and being a certain way. " The brown warrior paused for a second before continuing, "Whether that's true or not, I don't know. She might just be a rude furball for fun!" She ended her rant with a 'mrrow' of laughter. Icepaw thought the laugh sounded forced, as if the joke was just there to hide how much Flamestrike upset her.

"What do you mean by 'foster mother'?" Icepaw asked instead of questioning how the mentor felt. It seemed to shock the brown senior warrior, for she paused and widened her eyes, before shaking herself and standing up.

"I think that I'll answer that some other time. For now, let's get something to eat and rest--the Gathering's tonight, we might get to go!"

 

* * *

As the sun steadily went down over the horizon, several cats of LakeClan were rushing through their territory on their way to the Gathering. Snowtoes raised her head as much as she could to get a better view of where they were running to. Her stomach clenched up and ached at the thought of them getting there late--or getting there at all. The brown warrior always hated going to the crowded area that the Gathering's were held, though she didn't know exactly why. She never asked Hazelflight or Oakshine about it. She didn't like the thought of bothering them over possibly nothing.

At last, while she was pondering her emotions, the small group arrived at the place that cats from all the Clans met every full moon. It was a large clearing, with a large rockpile next to the flat face of a cliff edge. Boulders and stones surrounded the pile, and some rocks were a little ways away, making a seat that smaller cats could use for a better view; usually, however, older cats would use them while sharing stories. Many other cats were already gathered around, and three cats were sitting on the rock pile.

As the LakeClan cats approached, Snowtoes had a terrible feeling in her gut that something was wrong. Very wrong. She looked around the clearing; maybe someone was stuck, or hurt, _or-_

"Blackstar, what is Hollownight doing on the Fallen Stones? Only leaders are allowed up there." Fernstar's surprised mew broke her out of her down whirl spiral of thoughts. Then it struck her--Hollownight was up on the Fallen Stones! He had to be planning something! But _*what*_ exactly? He never seemed like a bad cat to Snowtoes, then again, she always thought that maybe everyone but Flamestrike seemed bad. Perhaps he has an important message? But wouldn't Blackstar report it, instead of a random warrior?

"What in the name of Lakestar herself does he think he's doing up there?" A medium-pitched southern voice spoke up from beside Snowtoes. She turned her head to see Willowwind looking up at the gray, black, and brown DarkClan warrior. Snowtoes thought she looked more worried and mystified than she should be by the tom. Snowtoes couldn't help but wonder why.

"Why are you so worried? I didn't think you would be one to think anything of him doing this." Snowtoes questioned. Willowwind stared at the warrior on the Fallen Stones for a moment longer, before turning her head to look at the brown she-cat beside her. The light brown warrior sighed before answering the question.

"Hollownight used to be apart of LakeClan, remember? I was his mate when he was with us, and..there's stuff I told him that I'm not proud of. What if tells everyone some of it? He doesn't like me very much anymore.." The light brown furred she-cat trailed off as she stared back up at the Fallen Stones with a horrified expression on her face. It made the gut feeling in Snowtoes twist more, as if she was looking in the face of a pack of dogs. It worried her to see her normally always calm and content friend to become so mortified and sad at the sight of her former mate.

The brown he-cat licked the older warrior's cheek, "Hey, I'm sure it'll be fine. Whatever you told him couldn't possibly be so bad that he'd tell everyone at a Gathering. What, is he gonna tell the story of when you chased a squirrel into the river and fell down the waterfall?"

"Hey! At least I got that squirrel!"

"Ha, you did, didn't you? Fell down a pretty much endless amount of fox-tails and you still caught a squirrel. You are truly amazing."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever..hopefully he is just being normal. He once told me that he always wanted to go up there.."

"He's probably just living his little dream of being leader for a moment. He'll get down soon."

Willowwind seemed satisfied by the conversation, and nodded while purring at Snowtoes, before walking over to Oakshine and sitting down next to the other light brown she-cat. Snowtoes wondered around until she spotted her apprentice, Icepaw, and her brother, Ashpaw, talking to other apprentices from DarkClan and FernClan. Snowtoes decided to leave them be, and went over to sit a little way away from where Jaywind, Cinderflower, and Birchfang were sitting. Seeing the small group somehow made the feeling in her gut tighten--it was as if StarClan itself were warning her about something about to happen to these cats.

As she sat down, another cat sat down next to her. The cat was an orange tabby she-cat, and Snowtoes recognized her as one of the newest warriors, Emberleap. The she-cat nodded at her, before looking back up at the rockpile that Blackstar, Fernstar, Blossomstar, and Hollownight were sitting. The warrior sitting with the leaders had a unsettling grin on his face, and his eyes glowed with a look of hunger for power. It made Snowtoes feel grim as she thought about the strange affair.

Meows filled the air as another group of cats streamed into the clearing; HeatherClan has arrived, finally. Ravenstar, the leader of the late Clan, quickly took his place beside the other leaders, not bothering hiding his surprise by Hollownight sitting on the Fallen Stones. He flicked his tail, but didn't question the warrior or leader's decision.

"Now, should we start this Gathering?" Blackstar's deep voice rumbled from deep within his chest, sounding loudly and echoing in the clearing filled with cats. The other leaders nodded, and Blackstar took a step forward to address his Clan.

"DarkClan is doing well this Newleaf, prey is running well, and we haven't had any troubles. Cloudpaw chased a rogue off our territory herself, and is almost ready to become a warrior. Life is good." Blackstar reported, ending his speak with a satisfied purr. Next, Blossomstar stepped forward with a nod to Blackstar.

"Similar to DarkClan, FernClan is doing well. Our prey pile is always full, and our kits are becoming stronger and more ready to be apprenticed with each day. We have had no problems." She ended her statement with a cough, and immediately sat down, as if she couldn't stand any longer. Ravenstar was at her side to make sure she didn't fall any second, while Fernstar and Blackstar looked at the white and gray leader with concern.

"No problems, huh?" Emberleap whispered from beside Snowtoes. The orange tabby sounded like she was telling a joke, but there was a look of fear in her eyes.

"I'm fine," Blossomstar snapped, slowly raising to her paws and stepping back. Fernstar stepped up next to report how her Clan was doing.

"LakeClan has been doing well lately. We have two new apprentices, Icepaw and Ashpaw," She paused to look over at the named apprentices. Snowtoes could just barely see her apprentice and her brother, but she joined in with the chanting of names. "We also have three new warriors; Emberleap, Duskclaw, and Minnowstream. However, only Emberleap is here tonight." The cats chanted the new warriors' names once again. Emberleap puffed out her chest with proud beside Snowtoes.

"Prey has also been decent. Newleaf has been nice to us, as always." The silver tabby stopped her report with that, and turned to sit back down. Lastly, Ravenstar, the brown and white leader of HeatherClan, stepped forward to speak.

"We have had a lovely time this season, with more kits and another apprentice, Runningpaw," He paused to let the cats chant the new apprentice's name, who was licking her chest in embarrassment next to Icepaw and Frostpaw, another apprentice from HeatherClan. "Prey has been..decent. Everything is running well." The leader abruptly finished, and sat down with a mixed look of fear and guilt. Almost as soon as he stopped talking, Hollownight stood up.

"Finally, you're all done lying about how your Clan is! Now, I have an announcement that you'll really want to hear-!" Yowls of confusion and anger from the cats below cut off the tom. Blackstar finally looked ready to deal with the warrior that was sitting next to him. Snowtoes noted that the black and white tom did not look happy.

"You do know you aren't supposed to be up here, correct? And we are not lying, so stop disrespecting us leaders. I told before, I'll tell you again: Get. Down." Blackstar growled. Hollownight lashed his tail and bared his teeth in reply.

"What do you mean, you aren't lying? You are! We aren't good, twolegs are destroying our territory and we're starving! FernClan has sick cats that are dying, they're weak! Fernstar is old as StarClan itself, and so are it's warriors and deputy! We could tap them and take over their territory, and don't even get me started on HeatherClan!" Hollownight yowled back at the leader. The other cats and leaders either yowled fearfully or angrily. The deputies, sitting under the leaders, stood up and lashed their tails. The entire group of cats looked ready to fight or run. Snowtoes felt suddenly claustrophobic from the cats' lashing tails and rising fur. She felt trapped by an enemy ready to strike.

"Hollownight, how dare you say that about us? You are not aloud to speak such ways about us leaders!" Blackstar spit at the warrior, who grinned at the angry leader. Blossomstar stood up to say something to the disrespectful warrior, but instantly collapsed on Ravenstar in a coughing fit. Ravenstar held her steady while looking on in fear, with Fernstar standing in front of the two leaders. Her hackles were raised, but she didn't seem keen on leaving the HeatherClan and FernClan leaders anytime soon.

"Another cat that lies is Willowwind--and she does it almost as much as you four put together!" Hollownight screech out, with his ears pinned to his head, and his fur sticking on end. Snowtoes has never seen a cat look so angry and dangerous more than that moment. It made her feel sick, to think that this cat had once been her crush--close friend--'s mate. What if he actually did say something about Willowwind? What if he attacked her? Surely not at a Gathering?

But as she looked up at the sky, the moon was shining brightly, with no clouds near the moon.

StarClan would do nothing to stop it if a fight were to break out now.

That made Snowtoes' stomach churn even more than it had been the moment she arrived at the Gathering place.

At last, Snowtoes saw Willowwind stand up for herself. She was now standing up, with her tail lashing back and forth, with a look of anger and horror on her face. "Hollownight, get down from there now, you evil piece of badger-dung!" She screeched up at her ex-mate. He simply glared down at her through the turmoil, obviously not planning to stop and get down before he could say what he wanted to.

"Hollownight, are you saying my cats aren't loyal?!" Fernstar yowled at the DarkClan warrior, who grinned at the old leader's frustration. He unsheathed his claws, and they glinted in the moonlight.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying, because you all aren't loyal! Willowwind has been lying to you for moons about her kits!"

Willowwind's fur was now sticking up, and her teeth were bared, "Hollownight, I am warning you! You better shut your muzzle or else-!"

"What, you good for nothing furball?" Hollownight retorted to the she-cat, who glared up at him with a look of pure hatred, which he gladly returned. "The truth she's been keeping is that Birchfang and Cinderflower-"

"Stop it, stop talking!"

"-are not our kits!"

Snowtoes felt a rush of confusion, doubt, and betrayal at the tom's words. She glanced at Willowwind, for a hope that the cat wasn't telling the truth, but the other she-cat was looking on with a look of guilt and sadness, and Snowtoes knew it was true. She was not the warriors' mother, and Hollownight was not their father. For however cruel he was, he would love his kits--he didn't love Cinderflower or Birchfang. They weren't his.

Yowls of shock and outrage drowned out any pitiful excuse Willowwind would muster, if she even did try to deny the claim at all.

"That can't be true!"

"I can't believe we didn't realize before!"

"Is this a sick joke?!"

Before Snowtoes could react, a heavy weight was suddenly on her back, and she collapsed with a startled screech. When she felt claws stabbing into her shoulders, she frantically shook the weight off, and turned around to see Duskstorm, the DarkClan deputy, staring at her with a look of confusion and anger. With blood slowly dripping down her cut shoulders, she took a step back, desperate to get out of the crowded area.

"LakeClan, run!" Snowtoes just barely managed to hear Fernstar's voice through the swarm of angry and hurt cats. She obeyed the orders; she turned around again and began shoving cats out of her way to get to the Fallen Stones, where she could see Fernstar gathered with Hazelflight and Stormleaf at the bottom. Blossomstar and managed to get down with Ravenstar, and the HeatherClan leader was trying to calm everyone down while Blossomstar rested on a stone. As she reached the LakeClan leader, a earsplitting scream that suddenly was cut off made her snap her eyes up to the top of the Fallen Rocks. What she saw made her blood run cold.

Hollownight was standing over Blackstar's body, with the leader's neck trapped in his teeth. Thunder and lighting suddenly crackled from above head, illuminating the DarkClan leader's carcass. Snowtoes felt as if her entire body had just gone unresponsive; she couldn't move or tear her gaze away. Another yowl, a grief-stricken one, sounded from nearby. Snowtoes somehow managed to glance over at the noise, and saw Ravenstar staring up at the scene with a look of sadness and regret that Snowtoes has never seen from a cat before.

"You killed him!" The brown and white leader cried, "He was on his last life!" The realization that Blackstar was really dead made Snowtoes heart ache with pain and fear. Ravenstar suddenly collapsed, with a yowl of grief and tears rolling down his face. Blossomstar and Fernstar were staring up at the dead leader with a similar look of horror, disbelief, and pain.

"Murderer!"

"No!"

"Blackstar! He can't be dead!"

"This isn't fair!"

Screeches of disbelief and desperation were spreading through the cats now. Snowtoes saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and when she turned to look, she spotted the rest of her Clanmates near the side of the clearing that their territory was on. The senior warrior turned to run towards her Clanmates, only taking a second to gain the attention of the deputy, medicine cat, and leader.

"We have to leave, now. Let's go!" She meowed to the three cats, before rushing towards her other Clanmates. As she reached them, she noticed that Stormleaf was calling everyone together, and that Hazelflight was leading Fernstar away from the body of the other leader. Rain was starting to quickly fall as the two cats arrived at the gathered group. Fernstar seemed to have gained energy, for she took lead, and lead her cats away from the Gathering. Snowtoes was running in the back with Willowwind and Oakshine, who were both running with their heads' down and a look of fear and guilt on their faces.

Snowtoes suddenly felt as is she knew who Birchfang and Cinderflower's real parents were.

Oakshine had to be their mother.

* * *

When the cats returned to their camp, rain was hurtling down at them, and Snowtoes' fur was soaked and sticking to her body. When the group arrived at camp, the cats quickly ran to their dens and nests. Snowtoes followed suit, and ran into the warriors den, which was clear of the cold air and any leaks. She noticed Willowwind curled in a ball with her head in her paws, shivering. She lowered her head as she approached, and laid down next to the light brown she-cat. After not getting a response, she began grooming the other cat's fur to help warm her, and comfort her.

A few heartbeats passed before Snowtoes felt her breathing slow down to signal that Willowwind was asleep. Exhaustion crept at the white-toed she-cat's vision, and she soon felt herself drift off next to the other warrior.

They could discuss what happened tonight, later. Now, they just slept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jaywind sounds like Harry Flynn from Uncharted that's a fact  
> not too sure bout the others yet though :o
> 
> also I had to completely rewrite like 58% of this bc after I got it all COMPLETELY FINISHED, AO3 randomly signed me out and I lost that much of it. This website's great, guys :')


	4. Chapter Three // The Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why does no-one read this rip me

Thunder and lightning was crackling overhead, with rain falling down fast, as a group of five cats raced through the forest. From faraway, they could faintly hear yowls from above the noise of thunder and swaying plants. A DarkClan patrol had launched an attack on training apprentices, and backups were needed. The group consisted of Jaywind, Thorntail, Pebblepool, Duskclaw, and Snowtoes. The last of the cats was fearfully running as fast as she could. Snowtoes had been on the dawn patrol, and Stormleaf had brought her apprentice, Icepaw, and Ashpaw training while she rested. Now the trio was under attack from what Duskclaw described as, "Every DarkClan warrior there was."

After what felt like moons, the group erupted into the clearing that the fight was occurring at. Snowtoes paused for a second see just how many enemies there were, and was surprised and scared to see that it didn't appear Duskclaw was exaggerating. Multiple cats were lashing out at the two still small apprentices, and the frail deputy was laying on the ground a couple foxtails away, incredibly still. Snowtoes felt her heart stop at the sight, before rushing over to the cat that had once been her mentor.

"Stormleaf?" She pitifully mewed, and after a few seconds, noticed his chest was still rising up and down. The deputy's eyes opened slightly to look at her, before he closed them and fell unconscious; Snowtoes couldn't tell if he was breathing still or not. Then, she turned around to see the other cats fighting back DarkClan, but one was still standing over Icepaw, with their paw on the gray apprentice's throat.

Snowtoes felt as if she would vomit when she recognized the warrior as Hollownight. She crouched to jump to her apprentice, but before she could, another cat leaped at the warrior and barreled him over. The other cat was a tall she-cat -- Snowtoes immediately knew it was the new DarkClan leader, Rabbitstar. The gray tabby was glaring down at the tom with a look of hatred.

"I told you to leave the Clans, you monster!" She growled the words before placing a paw on Hollownight's throat, and sliding out her claws, "You didn't listen," As soon as the words left her mouth, she sliced down from his throat to his stomach. The tom let out a monstrous shriek, and within a few seconds lay unmoving beneath the she-cat. Snowtoes had to force herself to feel bad for the other cat; she could barely feel anything other than relief at his death.

"DarkClan, stop this attack!" The leader yowled, stepping away from the corpse to gain control of her warriors. As the yowling died away and cats stood away from each other while licking wounds, another cat sprang out from the bushes. The cat had silver tabby fur, and blue eyes. Rabbitstar sighed when she noticed the rival she-cat.

“Fernstar,” The DarkClan leader acknowledged the new arrival with a nod. The other leader either didn't hear, or was ignoring Rabbitstar. She looked around wide-eyed, before spotting Stormleaf and Snowtoes. She let out a small gasp, and rushed over to her deputy.

“Stormleaf..?” Fernstar hesitantly mewed, her voice cracking. Rabbitstar stepped forward with a dip of her head.

“I know a little about healing and herbs, do you mind if-”

“No, please, do whatever, just let him live. Please.” Snowtoes had never seen her leader so heartbroken and desperate than in that moment, and she felt herself share in with the grief and heartache. The warrior looked back down at her former mentor, the deputy, a honorable cat. He was laying on the ground. Dying.

Why did stupid DarkClan have to attack?

Why was stupid Hollownight not gone immediately?

Why did this have to happen to him?

Rabbitstar flicked her tail at two warriors from DarkClan, “Go find some cobwebs, fast,” as the two warriors raced off, the gray leader walked over and crouched down next to Fernstar, and placed her ear of the deputy's chest. After a few seconds past, the leader slowly stood up, keeping her head lowered, then tilted her head to look at the other leader. Snowtoes faintly heard the two warriors return.

“I'm sorry..” Rabbitstar started with a soft voice, before stopping as Fernstar let out a loud grief-stricken yowl, and collapsed next to Stormleaf. Snowtoes felt her heart drop, and crouched down on the opposite side of the leader, sniffing her mentor's fur. His chest wasn't moving, and his body lay stiff, his fur gently moving in the breeze. The shock nearly drowned out any grief, but she felt tears streaming down her face, mixing with the falling rain.

A warmth pressed up on her side, and she glanced over to see Icepaw and Ashpaw shivering and leaning against one another. Scratches littered both of their bodies, and they looked thoroughly spooked and soaked. Snowtoes leaned over to lick both of them on their head, and whispered, “It's okay, the battle's over.” The words came out as a sob.

“Stormleaf..what's wrong with Stormleaf..?” Ashpaw shakily asked, his stare fixed on the corpse in front of them. Snowtoes knew what to say, knew exactly what was wrong, but the words got caught in her throat, and she suddenly felt as if a crushing weight was pushing on her chest and neck, and she couldn't breathe-

“Snowtoes!” The senior warrior heard Icepaw's faint voice before her hearing was cut off and everything went black.

 

–

 

As she blinked her eyes open, the brown warrior found herself face-to-face with her gray apprentice. The younger cat twitched her ear and a relived grin took form on her face. “You're awake!” the gray she-cat mewed.

 

“Yeah, I am,” Snowtoes began, looking around, and spotted Ashpaw sleeping on a nest nearby, with poultices and herbs on his wounds. Snowtoes also realized that Icepaw had the same healing herbs littering their bodies. Snowtoes raised herself to a crouch, and looked around a bit more. She noticed that Hazelflight was sorting though herbs at the back of the den.

 

“She told me to tell you that you can move around, if you're careful,” Icepaw murmured, gesturing her tail towards the medicine cat, “She figured you'd..want to see Stormleaf..” the apprentice trailed off as she gazed outside the den.

 

Snowtoes felt memories pour back into her head as she recalled the deputy. She lowered her head as grief overtook her again. Within heartbeats, Icepaw was at her mentor's side, offering silent comfort. Snowtoes turned her head to look at the gray apprentice through blurry vision, and licked her head. The apprentice had a haunted look in her eyes and she shakily mewed,

 

“I'm sorry. We tried to help him-”

 

“I know.”

 

They stayed like that for a few moments, sticking together like burrs, before Icepaw awkwardly scooted away, “You probably want to say goodbye to him..” she quietly mewed, before walking over to her sleeping brother's form. Snowtoes watched the siblings for a moment, before standing up and limping out the den.

 

As she exited, she noticed that it had stopped raining, and the sun was slowly going down; the warrior realized she had slept most of the day away in the medicine den. She also noticed that a unmoving body lay on the ground, the fur groomed by who Snowtoes assumed was a family member. Lying next to the fallen warrior was Fernstar, Willowwind, Feathercloud, and Patchheart. Snowtoes was vaguely aware of the other cats as she practically fell down next to the previous deputy's body. His fur was glossy, with all the blood washed off it, and his eyes were closed. Snowtoes almost convinced herself that Stormleaf was sleeping, before she saw he wasn't breathing, and his fur didn't even sway in the wind.

 

Snowtoes felt her heart break once again as she stared at the dead deputy. She felt a cat push against her, and saw Willowwind crying on her shoulder. Snowtoes faintly remembered that she was Stormleaf's niece.

 

Poor Willowwind.

 

Poor everyone, really.

 

It just wasn't fair that the cat had to die.

 

_'Willowwind must really be hurt by this, though.'_

 

Her ex-mate revealed a horrible secret, her foster kits are ignoring her, her Clanmates are treating her differently, and now her uncle's dead. What else could possibly go wrong in this cat's life? What else could possibly go wrong in the entire _Clan's_ life? It just wasn't fair.

 

How could StarClan do this to them?

 

Why did they let all this happen?

 

As the cats grieved, the moon slowly got higher in the sky, and at one point Snowtoes lifted her head, and noticed it was almost Moonhigh. Fernstar would need to appoint a new deputy soon, or else another part of the code would be needlessly broken. Not that she thought anyone would really care.

 

At long last, the silver furred leader slowly stood up from the carcass and gathered cats, and walked towards the Great Pine, climbing it with her head hung low, grief evident in her eyes.

 

“Let all cats gather beside the Great Pine for a Clan meeting!” Fernstar yowled out, her voice gravelly and lacking much emotion. Cats gradually exited their dens to sit beneath the leader. Icepaw and Ashpaw came out, but stayed near the medicine den with Hazelflight. Feathercloud and Willowwind hesitantly joined the gathered cats, but Patchheart didn't leave his father's side.

 

Flamestrike and Hollypelt joined the cats, and for once in her life, Snowtoes saw Flamestrike glance at Stormleaf with a look of grief and doubtfulness. Hollypelt looked upset as well, but he didn't look at Stormleaf; it took a second for Snowtoes to remember that the elder probably didn't know where the previous deputy's body was. He lost all vision moons ago.

 

Fernstar took a breathe before continuing, “We gather here under StarClan, and Stormleaf's eyes, for a important ceremony that needs to be preformed,” she meowed to the cats below. Her voice was quiet, and barely audible above the sounds of the wind. “A new deputy is to be appointed.”

 

She fell quiet once more, and none of the gathered cats dare break the silence. After several heartbeats, the leader finally raised her head again, and she seemed to reach her decision.

 

“I say these words before StarClan, and I hope they approve of my choice,” She paused for a breath, “Feathercloud is to be the new deputy of LakeClan.”

 

The cats remained quiet for a few seconds, before the start chanting the new deputy's name, “Feathercloud! Feathercloud!” The orange she-cat looked both sad and pleased at the same time. Snowtoes felt happy that she was the new deputy; Feathercloud deserved to be deputy for all the hard work she's done. It made sense for one of the deputy's apprentices' to become the next deputy, right? As she thought about it, the leader climbed down the tree and returned to her spot next to Stormleaf.

 

As the chants died away and cats slowly left to return to their dens, Feathercloud returned back to Stormleaf's body, and Snowtoes faintly heard her whisper, “I hope I make you proud,” to the deputy, before she turned and headed to the warriors den for rest. Snowtoes felt sleep tug on her, but she forced herself to remain with her mentor and Willowwind. As time passed, Snowtoes felt herself drift off at some time, and fell asleep at Willowwind and Fernstar's side.

 

The next time Snowtoes lifted her head, her muscles feeling stiff and her pelt uncomfortable, the sun was rising and shining in her eyes. She looked around, and noticed the Clan slowly rising for the day. Willowwind, Fernstar, and Patchheart were stilled gathered around Stormleaf with the brown she-cat, and Patchheart looked exhausted. Snowtoes thought he probably didn't sleep at all last night, and instead stayed up grieving over his father. She thought it was impossible to feel any lower than when Stormleaf died, but looking at the brown tom made her feel even more sad.

 

Flamestrike and Hollypelt left their den and walked over to the corpse and grieving cats. Flamestrike cleared her throat, “It's time we buried him, Fernstar,” Her voice was soft and sympathetic, something Snowtoes has never seen in the she-cat. Usually the elder didn't care about other cat's emotions. Maybe it was because Fernstar was her sister.

 

Maybe she was close to the deputy?

 

_'Who cares? At least she's not snarling at us.'_

 

The four cats stepped away, and the elders took up to carry the tom's body. Patchheart stepped forward to help, and the three cats slowly made their way out of camp. Fernstar stared after them, as Snowtoes led Willowwind toward the warriors den to finally get some sleep after everything that had happened.

 

As the brown warrior did so, a part of her brain was drowning out all other thoughts and making her anxiety spike up suddenly,

 

_'Was Flamestrike planning something?'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey!!! angst!!! how nice :)


	5. Chapter 4 // great googily moogily it's all gone to shit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't check this for spelling or grammar incorrectness or anything so if it's bad im sorry I made this all in 2 days after like a 905 year hiatus so

As she stalked through the damp forest, Snowtoes couldn't push the small feeling of guilt in her stomach as she followed the white and gray furred elder named Flamestrike. The cat was helping carry Stormleaf's corpse with Hollypelt, as she guided the blind elder past trees and bramble bushes.

The warrior felt nothing but cold suspicion after Flamestrike had shown compassion for her sister after the deputy had been slain the night before, and despite the growing fear and guilt as she followed the two, Snowtoes knew she couldn't deny that she truly couldn't believe that the elder had felt sympathy.

Finally, the elders stopped at a small rise in the earth, too high to be ignored, but too low to be considered a hill, in Snowtoes' mind. Hollypelt crouched down and let the previous deputy slide gently off his shoulders, and Flamestrike did the same. There was already a hole dug, that must have been dug by the two during the time that everyone else was mourning in the camp's clearing.

From her hiding spot from in between two holly bushes, Snowtoes felt her heart ache as she stared at her former mentor's body. As she snapped herself out of thought, she glanced over at Flamestrike, and squinted through the leaves and branches of the bush to try to make out her face.

Her heart seemed to drop when the expression the elder wore was one of satisfaction, and that the elder's tail was curled with pleasure. Snowtoes couldn't stop the scared gasp that escaped her jaws, and immediately afterward clamped her mouth closed and pressed herself closer to the ground. To her relief, it seemed that the two older cats didn't notice, and Flamestrike grabbed Stormleaf's scruff and dragged him into the grave.

Hollypelt hesitatingly stepped forward, sniffing the edge of the grave. Snowtoes felt a strong urge to call out and warn him to not fall in, but kept her mouth shut. No doubt the two would get suspicious if they knew she had followed them and spied.

As Snowtoes turned her gaze to look back towards Flamestrike, there was a sudden flash of leaves in her face, and she flinched back. A second later she realized a squirrel had dropped down onto the bush, and was running towards another cover. She watched it climb a tree and disappear into the leaves above, her muscles twitching as she held herself back from giving chase. A loud and pained gasp made her snap her head back to the two cats. A wave of shock, terror, and nausea swept through her all at once.

Hollypelt lay collapsed on the ground, blood pooling around him from his throat, which had a clean slice through it. He heaved in gasps of air for a few seconds that felt like moons to Snowtoes as shock forced her body to stay still. Her mind whirled as she felt her breathe suddenly escape her body with difficulty returning. As the warrior finally got the ability to move again, she knew she was too late.

The blind elder lay still, his eyes staring blankly ahead. Snowtoes watched helplessly as Flamestrike grabbed his scruff and, like Stormleaf, dragged the cat into the grave.

Snowtoes shakily stepped back, and after she had left the bush, stood shivering for a few more seconds, simply staring at her paws as her head was stuck replaying the events over and over.

“Snowtoes?”

A creaking voice cut through her thoughts. She moved her head up to look at where the noise came from, and saw Flamestrike staring back at her with a look of shock. The two stood and stared at each other for a few long moments.

“..Why did..?” Is all Snowtoes replied with, before taking a hesitant step back. Flamestrike's hackles rose and the elder took another step forward.

“You saw all of that? You did, didn't you?” The elder snarled at her.

“Shut up, traitor!” The younger warrior shot back, before turning around and running back towards camp. She had the proof that Flamestrike killed a clanmate, the elder really had a reason to really be exiled now. Snowtoes ran as fast as her paws could take her, as she heard the white furred she-cat behind her yowl, and then a set of paws chasing after her.

She had to make it back to camp before her. She had to.

Trees whirled past her, and her vision tunneled to only in front of her as her chest heaved with the effort of keeping up her speed. Fear and desperation kept her paws going. Luckily, the place were Stormleaf was buried wasn't too far from the camp.

As Snowtoes burst into the camp, completely out of breath, meows of surprise and worry sounded from around the clearing. Some cats exited their dens to see what was happening, and Snowtoes saw Icepaw and Willowwind run up to her.

“Snowy? Hey, what happened?” Willowwind asked, as she let Snowtoes lean against her shoulder. Icepaw said something too, but Snowtoes couldn't hear what she murmured. Fernstar and Feathercloud had also walked up to the scene, while Hazelflight watched from her den's entrance.

“What's going on?” Fernstar asked, looking at Willowwind, then to Snowtoes, and back again to Willowwind, her ear twitching worriedly. Willowwind shrugged her shoulders and looked helplessly at the out of breath warrior. As Snowtoes regained her breath, she heard distant barking. Fernstar glanced up towards the noise, her tail flicking back and forth.

Snowtoes took a step towards the leader, “It-it's Flamestrike! She's a traitor, and she..-she killed Hollypelt! I saw her!” the warrior cried out, her throat constricting as she fought back a sob. As soon as the words left her jaws, the elder she spoke of burst through the camp entrance behind her. The elder snarled as she saw Snowtoes. Snowtoes jerked backwards from the other cat, and stood behind Willowwind. Fernstar stared at the other in despair.

“Flamestrike, is this true?” The leader growled, her hackles raising as she approached her sister. The two stood face to face as Flamestrike replied with no hesitation at all.

“That I killed Hollypelt?” The elder growled, before grinning and replying with, “Yes, yes I did. He deserved it!” The cat growled out, then pushed past Fernstar to run towards the Great Pine. Yowls of disbelief and protest sounded from every cat as the she-cat hurriedly climbed it, and looked down at the cats below with a twisted look in her eyes. Snowtoes felt sick to her stomach.

“And pretty soon you'll be like him, too! Here's a little hint for you..” She paused as a howl filled the air. It didn't sound far off. “Most of us are old and slow. Other creatures..aren't as much. So good luck fighting off all those mangy things!” Her cold and hoarse laughter filled the air as a huge creature pushed past the camp entrance, it's tongue lolling from it's mouth. It seemed like time slowed for a heartbeat as the giant creature looked around at all the cats in a sort of awe-struck way. Feathercloud's fur bristled, and she yowled in fear.

“Dogs!”

As soon as the deputy yowled, the pack's leader bark with excitement, and jumped forward towards the closest cat to it. More barking and dogs running into the camp followed suit, and Snowtoes ran towards the Great Pine in hope of getting somewhere the pack couldn't reach her.

She managed to climb to first branch, and looked over the camp. The clearing had exploded into fighting from both the dogs and her campmates. From what she could see, there were at least five dogs in the camp, and she stared at the sight in horror. Even if they outnumbered the dogs by many, they were stronger than them, and were already starting to overpower several cats.

Fernstar, Feathercloud, Pebblepool, and Willowwind were attacking one of the smallest dogs, leaping back and forth to claw at the creature while it yapped at all four of them, it's tail wagging back and forth despite the attacks. Near them was Oakshine, Jaywind, Cinderflower, and Birchfang attempting to fight off another one. Across the camp, Ashpaw, Icepaw, Patchheart, and Thorntail were trying to deal with two of them at once, while Duskclaw, Minnowstream, and Emberleap were succeeding in driving back the leader of the pack.

Snowtoes glanced back at her apprentice and the young cat's brother. The two, while they had their fur raised and their teeth bared at the creatures towering over them, they were hiding behind their father, Patchheart. The tom standing in front of them had a fearful glint in his eyes, but didn't back away. He stood and hissed the the two dogs who barked at them and took steps forward to snap at the cats, then back away again to bark and wag their tails happily.

The brown furred she-cat narrowed her eyes at the scene, before jumping off the branch she was sitting on and racing towards the four cats. She jumped on the back of the nearest dog and held on tight as it whined and tried to shake her off. While it was distracted, Thorntail launched himself at the other dog, and Patchheart ran forward to rake his claws down the muzzle of the one that Snowtoes was lodged on.

Finally, the dog shook the she-cat off, and she ran over to the two apprentices as Patchheart stood on his hindlegs to get to the canine's face. Snowtoes looked down the the shaking cats before her.

“We have to leave. We can't fight off all of them, they're too strong and there's too many. Come on, quick!” She hurriedly meowed to the two, as she pushed them forward from the edge of the camp towards the entrance.

“What about everyone else? What about Patchheart and Pebblepool? Or Cinderflower?” Ashpaw shakily mewed as he trotted out of view of the blood-hungry dogs. Snowtoes shook her head as her words failed her for a few heartbeats. When they reached the tunnel leading into and out of camp, she finally found her voice.

“I'll get everyone out, you two go to safety.”

“Where are we safe at?” Icepaw asked in a small voice, her head bent backwards to look at her mentor.

“HeatherClan. Go to HeatherClan, we can shelter there until we can return back to our own territory.” The older warrior replied. Ashpaw looked back at the battle still taking place.

“Promise us everyone will be okay.” He asked, as he crouched to the ground in terror. Icepaw was doing the same, but she glanced up at Snowtoes as if she was seeking comfort in the warrior's gaze. Snowtoes felt her heart break at the sight of the two horrified kits.

“I promise. Everyone will be there when we meet you again at their camp. Go to their territory, and look for a patrol until you find one, and ask to be brought to the camp, and say that Fernstar will be there soon and explain what's happening. You can do that, right?” As Snowtoes asked the question, the two nodded their heads. “Good. Now go!” She meowed at them, and watched as they raced down the tunnel and out of camp. Then she turned around to help fight off more dogs.

As she did, she saw one of the creatures racing towards her. She managed to step back just in time to avoid getting crushed as it raced out of the camp whining in pain. A heartbeat later, Thorntail appeared next to her.

“That's one down, four to go.” The warrior meowed. He sounded ominous, and Snowtoes felt dread stir in her stomach. The orange tom glared around camp, before settling on a dog that had Fernstar pinned to the ground as Feathercloud lay a few feet away. Willowwind was nowhere to be seen. Snowtoes stopped him before he could jump into the battle.

“Thorntail, wait!” She called out, and walked to stand in front of him. “Gather Patchheart and anyone else you can, and run to HeatherClan. Icepaw and Ashpaw are heading that way already.” The brown furred she-cat explained. Thorntail nodded, before going back to run at the dog that Fernstar was now fighting alone. Patchheart must have saw, because he soon joined Thorntail in the fight, too.

As the two helped Fernstar defend the camp, Snowtoes looked around one more time, Hazelflight must have already left the camp at some point, because she couldn't be found, and the medicine den wasn't damaged in the slightest. Near the Great Pine, Snowtoes could see a still body laying at the base. It was so coated in blood that the warrior couldn't tell who it was.

Minnowstream was backing away from one of the largest canines with Emberleap. From behind the dog, Snowtoes could see Duskclaw's body which was torn to shreds. Blood was pooled around him, and his eyes were wide open yet clouded. The newly made warrior had already met his demise, less than a moon after he became a warrior. Snowtoes felt her heart ache and her stomach hurt at the sight. Bile rose in her throat, but she choked it back down.

There was nothing left for her to do here. There were still four dogs left, and limited cats. Snowtoes glanced at the two youngest warriors as she backed away.

“Minnowstream! Emberleap! Quick, run for it We can't win!” She shouted, before turning tail and fleeing through the destroyed camp tunnel.

She ran towards the HeatherClan border, and didn't bother looking back, even when loud, pained-filled yowls sounded through the air, mixed with angry barking and howling. She didn't look back, no matter how much she wanted to.

She didn't look back because she knew she'd never look at the camp or the cats that lived there the same way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been 84 goddamn years but im back and im reading to ANGST IT UP YALL

**Author's Note:**

> ha no angst yet but just u wait


End file.
